Monthly Archives: February 2014

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4 Obstacles to Faithful Preaching

Preaching Header

One of my favorite books on preaching is Tony Merida’s Faithful Preaching: Declaring Scripture with Responsibility, Passion, and Authenticity.

The book has a strong Trinitarian emphasis as Merida calls preachers to preach Christ unto the glory of God with the help of the Spirit. Such a goal is no easy endeavor though. Obstacles to Trinitarian preaching can be found in the preacher’s motivation, message, and manner. Merida discussion of four obvious obstacles within a preacher’s motivation is most useful.1

4 MOTIVATIONAL OBSTACLES TO FAITHFUL PREACHING

Obstacle #1: Indwelling Sin. Sin clouds our vision of God and hinders intimacy with God. Consequently, our motive gets distorted when our hearts are not clean. Our motive may end up being popularity, praise, success, or power. Therefore, the primary opponent we have to deal with in preaching motivation is the indwelling residue of sin, and the pride that so interwoven with it.

Obstacle #2: The Praise of Men and Fear of Men. Preachers regularly care too much about the reaction of people. Many times we forget that the primary audience of our sermon is God not people. If we neglect this reality, we will fall into the trap of either altering the message to please people or not preaching truth because we fear people. Remember that if you do not please God, it really does not matter who you please.

Obstacle #3: Competition and Jealousy. The unfortunate competition between preachers is on perpetuated by the contemporary milieu of the day. Many preachers tend to get jealous when others are favored as the keynote speaker, or receive offers from large churches.

An old 4th century story illustrates this well. Some inexperienced demons were finding it difficult in tempting a godly hermit. They lured him with every type of temptation, but he could not be enticed. The demons returned to Satan and recited their problem. He responded that they had been far too hard on the man. Satan said, “Send him a message that his brother has just been made bishop of Antioch. Bring him good news.” Baffled by the devil’s advice, the demons returned and reported the wonderful news to the pious hermit. In that very instant, he fell into deep, wicked jealousy. Jealousy can tear down the godliest ministers.

Obstacle #4: Obsession with Church Growth. Obsession with church growth has the power to keep you from preaching for God’s glory. The temptation is to do “whatever works” (pragmatism) in order to attract a crowd, keep your job, or get a raise. However, the means to not always justify the ends. A faithful preacher has a higher goal than merely putting people in the seat and paying the church’s bills. We have a doxological purpose in preaching (glorifying God) before we have a numerical purpose in preaching (increasing numbers).

  1. The following content is adapted from Faithful Preaching, 24-27. ↩
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Ascension-Shaped Preaching

The Ascension and Preaching

I remember sitting in a systematic theology class at RTS while Doug Kelley lectured on Christology. When he got to the ascension and session of Christ he said something like, “If any of you do doctoral work, consider doing it on the ascension. It is woefully neglected.”

It was one of those random asides from a professor that sticks with you.

Ever since then I have kept my eye out for books on the ascension, but the years have proven Dr. Kelley to be quite the prophet. The ascension of Christ does indeed seem to be the forgotten aspect of Christ’s work.

Tim Chester and Jonny Woodrow bucked the trend last year by publishing The Ascension: Humanity in the Presence of God. It is theological pithiness at its finest. In just over 75 pages they unpack how Christ’s ascension is paradigmatic to our understand of and mission for Christ. 

HOW THE ASCENSION SHAPES PREACHING

Chapter two is a masterful exposition of Jesus’ ascension as His enthronement as king. Along the way they rightly observe how the ascension profoundly impacts our understanding of evangelism. If we substitute “preaching” for “evangelism” here’s what we get:

When we proclaim the gospel we are heralds of a coming king. It is as if we go to the citizens of a country and say that a king is coming who rightly claims their allegiance. Those who currently rule them are usurpers and tyrants. But the true king is coming and He will be king. He will reign.

This is what takes place in [preaching].  We declare that Jesus is king and that Jesus will be king. The earliest encapsulation of the Christians message is ‘Jesus is Lord’ – confessed at a time when the rest of the world was declaring Caesar to be Lord (Rom. 10:9). Jesus has been given all authority by the Father and one day every knee will bow before Him. If people acknowledge His lordship now, they will experience His coming rule as blessing, life and salvation. If they reject Him, they will experience His coming rule as conquest, death, and judgment.

We live in a culture where choice is everything and value judgments are relative, in which I decide what is right for me. The declaration of Christ’s kingship cuts right across this. We do not invite people to make Jesus their king; we tell people that Jesus is their king. We do not invite people to meet Jesus; we warn people that they will meet Jesus as their conquering king, either through the gospel or as their judge on the final day. We do not offer people a gospel invitation; we command people to repent and submit to the coming king. Of course we do this graciously and gently (1 Pet. 3:16). We cannot force or manipulate repentance. But one day everyone will bow the knee before Jesus one way or another (Phil. 2:9-11). . . .

Nothing could be more momentous for life on earth than Jesus’ ascension. This story creates [preachers] who proclaim Him boldly in the face of hostility. . . . It is an event to be publicly proclaimed to all nations. It does not create a church bunkered down in a ghetto, but a church that confidently proclaims the coming of Earth’s king.

Amen!

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Alistair Begg on Sermon Preparation

begg1One of my favorite living preachers is Alistair Begg. I find him to be a model of convictional clarity in exposition. There is an art and unction to his preaching uncommon in our time.

If you want to find out more about Begg’s thoughts on preaching you can reach for his little booklet Preaching for God’s Glory. One section of the work that is particularly helpful is on his own method of sermon preparation. He mentions five points he “learned from an older minister when [he] was a theological student.”1

THINK YOURSELF EMPTY

“It is helpful if we can survey the passage in a proper spirit of unlearnedness. We do not want to be uncertain by the time our study ends, but it is all right and often beneficial to avoid the proud assumption that we know initially what everything means . . . In this stage I write down anything that comes to mind – parallel passages, possible illustrations, textual difficulties, poems, hymn quotes, a sketchy outline if it emerges naturally.”

READ YOURSELF FULL

“The pastor should read widely and regularly. There are certain books we should return to routinely: Baxter’s The Reformed Pastor, Augustine’s Confessions, and as daunting as we may find it, Calvin’s Institutes. I also find great profit in reading biographies. The two volumes on Lloyd-Jones should be a prerequisite for all pastors, as well as at least the first volume on Whitefield by Arnold Dallimore. . . . We must learn to benefit from these resources without becoming tied to them or allowing their insights to rob us of the necessary personal experience of discovery and creativity.”

WRITE YOURSELF CLEAR

“Aside from the essential empowering of the Holy Spirit, if there is one single aspect of sermon preparation that is most closely tied to fluency of speech and impact in delivery, it is this: freedom of delivery in the pulpit depends upon careful organization in the study. We believe that we have a grasp of the text and that we are clear about our delivery, only to stand up and discover that somewhere between our thinking and our speaking things have gone badly awry. The missing link can usually be traced to the absence of putting our thoughts down clearly.”

PRAY YOURSELF HOT

“There is no chance of fire in the pews if there is an iceberg in the pulpit; and without personal prayer and communion with God during the preparation stages, the pulpit will be cold. . . . We dare not divorce our preaching from our praying. . . . We can do more than pray, after we have prayed, but not until. How easy it is to affirm this, and yet how difficult to practice.”

BE YOURSELF, BUT DON’T PREACH YOURSELF

“There is nothing quite so ridiculous as the affected tone and adopted posture of the preacher who wishes he was someone else. . . .  James Stewart used to say, “Be yourself, but also, forget yourself!” Self-forgetfulness is of vital importance. We cannot make much of ourselves and much of the Lord Jesus Christ simultaneously. If people leave worship saying, “What an amazing preacher!” we have failed. Instead we must long for them to say, “What a great God, and what a privilege it is to meet him in his Word, as we have just done.”

  1. In Between Two Worlds John Stott mentions a very similar method saying, “The whole process from beginning to end, was admirably summed up the by American Black preacher who said, ‘First, I reads myself full, next I thinks myself clear, next I prays myself hot, and then I lets go.” ↩
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A Series Worth Serious Investment

Crossway has partnered with 9Marks for a series of books entitled “Building Healthy Churches,” they are an expansion of Dever’s incredibly useful 9 Marks of a Healthy Church. Each entry elaborates on one of the nine marks in a short and readable book.

If the first three books already published are a faithful representation of what’s to come, the Building Healthy Churches series will be one of the most useful resources available for the church – members and leaders alike. Here are the books already in print or soon to be in print.1

9MARKS: BUILDING HEALTHY CHURCHES

9781433532337Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus by Jonathan Leeman. “Church discipline is essential to building a healthy church. So how exactly do we practice church discipline? Jonathan Leeman helps us face the endless variety of circumstances and sins for which no scriptural case study exists, sins that don’t show up on any list and need a biblical framework to be corrected appropriately in love. Here is a contemporary and concise how-to guide that provides a theological framework for understanding and implementing disciplinary measures in the local church, along with several examples of real-life situations and the corresponding responses.”

9781433532375Church Membership: How the World Knows Who Represents Jesus by Jonathan Leeman. “Why should you join a church? Becoming a member of a church is an important, and often neglected, part of the Christian life. Yet the trend these days is one of shunning the practice of organized religion and showing a distaste or fear of commitment, especially of institutions. Jonathan Leeman addresses these issues with a straightforward explanation of what church membership is and why it’s important. Giving the local church its proper due, Leeman has built a compelling case for committing to the local body.”

9781433535895Sound Doctrine: How a Church Grows in the Love and Holiness of God by Bobby Jamieson. “How do you feel about doctrine? Whatever answer comes to mind, this book will not only convince you that sound doctrine is vital for living a godly life, it will also explain the essential role of theology in the life of a healthy church. After all, thinking rightly about God affects everything, from guiding us in practical issues to growing a church’s unity and witness. This short, readable book shows how good theology leads to transformation, life, and joy.”

9781433540875Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rennie. “What does effective church leadership look like? In this conversational book, Pastor Jeramie Rinne sets forth an easy-to-understand “job description” for elders drawn from the Bible’s teaching on church leadership. Offering practical guidance for new elders and helping church members better understand and support their spiritual leaders, this succinct volume will encourage elders to embrace their calling with grace, wisdom, and clarity of vision.”

9781433544651Evangelism: How the Whole Church Speaks of Jesus by Mack Stiles. “Evangelism is more than a program. Every few years, churches jump into the latest evangelistic fad. Leaders administrate the new program, and members go on a raid. But picture a church where evangelism is just part of the culture. Leaders share their faith consistently and openly. Members follow, encouraging one another to make evangelism an ongoing way of life. Such is the way of evangelism presented by this brief and compelling book. No program here. Instead, it just might give your church a new way to live and share the gospel together.”

9781433543135Expositional Preaching: How We Speak God’s Word Today by David Helm. “What makes for good preaching? In this accessible volume—written for preachers and preachers in training—pastor David Helm outlines what must be believed and accomplished to become a faithful expositor of God’s Word. In addition to offering practical, step-by-step guidance for preachers, this short book will equip all of us to recognize good preaching when we hear it.”

9781433540837The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Ray Ortland. “How does the church portray the beauty of Christ? The gospel is a theological message. But this message also creates human beauty—beautiful relationships in our churches, making the glory of Christ visible in the world today. In this timely book, Pastor Ray Ortlund makes the case that gospel doctrine creates a gospel culture. In too many of our churches, it is the beauty of a gospel culture that is the missing piece of the puzzle. But when the gospel is allowed to exert its full power, a church becomes radiant with the glory of Christ.”

I hope these book don’t fly under the radar, but are used mightily by God to build His church.

  1. All descriptions taken from Crossway. ↩
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Some Merits of a Manuscript

Preaching from a Manuscript

Early on in my ministry I purposed to figure out the best method for sermon delivery. I tried everything from a small outline, to a full outline, to a sticky note with one or two quotes, then to nothing altogether.

Looking back on it now I realize that, for some reason, I thought extemporaneous discourse free from notes was the quintessence of skill in preaching.

I now realize that’s just plain silly.

After about eighteen months of trying everything else, I finally tried preaching from a manuscript. What a difference it made! Now, I do need to explain that preaching from a manuscript does not mean reading a document before the church. Jonathan Edwards may have done that during prolific revival years, but Edwards I am not and you are not. Therefore, when I think of preaching from a manuscript I think of preachers going into the pulpit with elaborate notes on which they don’t heavily rely. Just like any other notes you might bring into the pulpit the manuscript exists summons your mind and heart to organized exposition. They are there and they are somewhat invisible. If you preach from a manuscript but your congregation would never think so, you are probably using it properly.

Here are three reasons why I find preaching from a manuscript particularly helpful.

3 MERITS OF THE MANUSCRIPT

1. Clarity. Many men throughout the ages have remarked on the value of writing oneself unto clear thinking, among them are:

  • Calvin, citing Augustine: “I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write.”
  • Ed Welch: “I find that there are three levels of clarity. When I only think about something, my thoughts are embryonic and muddled. When I speak about it, my thoughts become clearer, though not always. When I write about it, I jump to a new level of clarity.”
  • John Piper: “Writing became the lever of my thinking and the outlet of my feelings. If I didn’t pull the lever, the wheel of thinking did not turn. It jerked and squeaked and halted. But once a pen was in hand, or a keyboard, the fog began to clear and the wheel of thought began to spin with clarity and insight.”

An articulate manuscript will require the preacher to think carefully and clearly about his exposition in a way no other system of preparation will. Preachers who use a manuscript are often accused of being boring, but they are rarely accused of being unclear. Clarity in preachign is a apostolic essential (Col. 4:4) and the accusation of a sermon being unclear is one of the worst things a preacher can hear. A manuscript is a catalyst to clarity in a ways an outline – simple or extensive – can’t possibly be.

2. Sensitivity. Two things come to mind on this point. First, manuscripts help preacher be sensitive to time. For example, I know that a 3,100 word manuscript will lead to a 35-37 minute sermon (the normal sermon length at our church). Another guy who preaches regularly at our church needs about 4,300 word to preach for 35 minutes. To each his own, I guess.

When I go somewhere and am asked to preach for a specific length of time, the manuscript is an invaluable aid to helping me honor the request. It isn’t constraining, it is actually freeing because I need not worry in the moment if I will end up taxing the audience’s attention with undue length.I often tell guys that people will forgive you for just about anything, but most won’t forgive you for a sermon gone too long.

A second point on sensitivity is the ability to get feedback on particularly thorny sections of your exposition. Maybe there is a theological nuance in the text that’s difficult to explain. Maybe there is an application that you want to make sure comes across appropriately. Writing out your thoughts in full allows you to then get well-informed feedback from other brothers and sisters. I can sit someone down in our church and say, “I need your feedback on point I am trying to make, here is what I plan to say . . .” Surely you can get feedback when you don’t manuscript, but I doubt it will be as detailed or informed.

Manuscripts then, aid sensitivity in time and exposition.

3. Usability. Quite simply, it’s easier to reuse a sermon that you manuscripted than one you outlined. Even further, manuscripts can readily be turned into text for newsletters, blogs post, articles, or chapters in a book. A manuscript multiplies the usability of your sermon in ways that no other method of sermon preparation can.

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Recent Reads

I love to read. By God’s grace I am a pretty fast reader; I usually read a couple books each week. I find it helpful to summarize my thoughts on each book and I offer those thoughts in the hope that you will be encouraged to either read or pass over the given title.

517rFQAGr0L._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman. He seems to be a divisive figure of sorts in the “gospel-centered” circles in which I live, but Carl Trueman is a gift to God’s church. I find him to be a voice of sanity in American evangelicalism, one who offers incisive cultural analysis and fresh articulation of the Christian tradition. All these things are on display in The Creedal Imperative, which seeks to argue “that the need for creeds and confessions is not just a practical imperative for the church but is also a biblical imperative” (19). I came to the book as a convinced confessionalist, but Trueman put more biblical and theological meat on that skeleton. A book every pastor ought not to miss!

51R1bjfC8SL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_The Yard by Alex Grecian. Grecian debut novel in his “Scotland Yard’s Murder Squad” series is not properly historical fiction, but it is quite close. Jack the Ripper’s famed reign of terror has runs its course and the London police force finds itself scorned by the larger community. Twelve detectives are charged with investigating the thousands of people Victorian London swallows up each year. The Murder Squad’s skills are put to the test when one of their own suffers ghastly death. The Yard was a fun read that broke the mold of the normal detective-ish books I often read that are strong on plot and weak on character development. Grecian offers a solid plot thick with intriguing characters. What most fascinated me was how the story reveals the development of forensic science. You mean they didn’t always know fingerprints are unique and integral to solving cases?!? I look forward to his second installment in the series.

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Be Much in Prayer

Pray Persistently

In one of the most helpful books on striving against Satan, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, Thomas Brooks laid out ten special helps for fighting the enemy. Special help number ten is, “If you would not be taken in any of Satan’s snares, then be much in prayer.”

Ephesians 6:18 is perhaps the most comprehensive one-verse statement on prayer in the Bible. Paul says, “[Pray] at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Four adverbs show the apostle’s comprehensiveness:

  • Pray constantly, we are to pray at all times.
  • Pray diversely, we are to pray with all prayer and supplication.
  • Pray persistently, we are to pray with all perseverance.
  • Pray universally, we are to pray for all the saints.

In this post I want to focus on what is means to pray persistently, what Paul intends when he says, “To that end keep alert with all perseverance . . .”

PERSISTENT PRAYER

What we have here is a statement of means, in other words, “What will enable us to pray constantly and diversely?” Alert persistence. In our prayers we are encouraged to keep alert – ἀγρυπνοῦντες.  The word has the basic meaning of staying awake and was used of shepherds staying awake at night to watch their sheep, because of the presence of wolves and other wild beasts that threatened the flock.  The church grows and is built on territory surrounded by the enemy, thus we must keep alert with all perseverance. The enemy knows prayer is a missile of profound effectiveness, thus he must war against it.

In Ephesians 6:11 we were told that Satan’s schemes against the church and here Paul is reminding us to pay attention in our praying, for Satan will scheme against it. Satan seems to use three particular schemes in an effort to keep you from praying.

SATAN’S 3 SCHEMES AGAINST PRAYER

Satan schemes to keep you from prayer.  He will tempt you in a condemning tone, “What you pray?  Could such a hypocrite like you pray to God and be heard?”  Praise the Lord that He delights in the prayers of his often hypocritical and sinful children, should they be offered through the intercession of Christ Jesus.  Satan may also suggest that you don’t have the gift of prayer, so just leave prayer up to the “prayer warriors.”  Remember that prayer is no mere suggestion in Scripture; it is a command for all the children of God.  Satan will suggest various excuses to put prayer off, “This isn’t a good time for prayer, too much distraction.  Just wait for complete silence and solitude to pray.”  We know all too well don’t we that our life is filled with things to excuse us away from the duty and glory of prayer.  Satan will scheme to keep you from praying, but if you resist his first stratagem, he employs a second.

Satan schemes to interrupt your prayer.  We all are quite familiar with device, aren’t we?  He will tempt us unto wandering, vain, or even sinful thoughts as our knee is bowed and encourage us to purse the aimless thought thereby diverting us from the path of powerful prayer. Thus, a single-minded and holy focus is needed in the moment of prayer.  Aim to bow the knee in awe and reverence before the majesty of our great God who hears prayer.  Let us come into his presence with all our attention and affection devoted to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.  Should you resist his second scheme, he will come with a third.

Satan schemes to hinder the success of prayer. Scripture tells us to pray in faith and according to the will of God. Therefore, Satan will tempt you to doubt and unbelief as you make your requests to God. He also schemes to have us pray in accord with our own will in contradiction to the will we are supposed to pray in, God’s will. Let us pray with faith clinging to promise that God hears the faithful cries of His children. Let us pray according to God’s desires as laid before us in His Word.  Let us focus our prayer on what He says we need, should desire, and should ask for.

Satan knows it is a powerful weapon to stand firm against his attack, so he will scheme against prayer.  Yet, do not grow wary or weary of prayer knowing that the enemy will oppose your praying.  Take it is a wonderful and glorious sign of grace for if Satan schemes against your prayer it is because he knows that you are a child of God and God hears His children who desire to assault the kingdom of darkness.  The means to prayer constantly and diversely is to keep alert with all perseverance.

Pray persistently.

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3 Books Every Pastor Should Read: On Spiritual Warfare

Books are some of the best friends a pastor can have. How to know which friends to have is quite difficult, for as the inspired Preacher said, “Of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12). Every so often I recommend three books for pastors on a given topic, hoping the suggestions might hone your book budget.

Two weeks ago I read Borgman and Ventura’s useful little book, Spiritual Warfare: A Balance and Biblical Perspective, and said it “isn’t profound like Powlison’s or pointed like Leahy’s, but it is a mighty fine introduction to an always pressing topic.” Much ink has spilled on this issue of spiritual warfare, but not all of it is good. The choices for studying our striving against Satan are legion and here are the first ones I’d recommend you read:

0851511961mThe Christian in Complete Armor by William Gurnall. The Puritans discussed spiritual warfare with a biblical depth uncommon to our time and Gurnall’s magnum opus is the pinnacle. I will let three spiritual giants convince you of its value: “If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armour,” said John Newton. Spurgeon wrote, “Gurnall’s work is peerless and priceless; every line is full of wisdom; every sentence is suggestive. The whole book has been preached over scores of times, and is, in our judgment, the best thought-breeder in all our library.” Finally, good Bishop Ryle offered this endorsement, “You will often find in a line and a half some great truth, put so concisely, and yet so fully, that you really marvel how so much thought could be got into so few words.”

51Phi+wriaL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices by Thomas Brooks. If Gurnall is to big a pill to swallow, then I’d start with Brooks. He might be the liveliest and clearest of all the Puritan authors. Precious Remedies are offered for thirty-one different devices of Satan and then Brooks concludes with “Ten Special Helps and Rule Against Satan’s Devices.” This book will not only fuel your fighting against Satan, but also inflame your heart with zeal for your Captain.

517BwdImm6L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_Power Encounters: Reclaiming Spiritual Warfare by David Powlison. Unfortunately this book has gone out of print, so you’ll definitely want to grab a used copy. Back in the early 90s Frank Perretti’s novels brought spiritual warfare to mainline evangelicalism and the power encounter model became king. Most popularly advocated by Neil Anderson and Timothy Warner, the power encounter model can be summarize as a person saying, “I command you demon, in the name of Christ, to depart from him/her/it/here!” There are more nuances to be shore, but not many more. Powlison ably counters this view with what can be called a “Truth Encounter”; astute biblical interpretation and pastoral sensibility in fighting spiritual darkness. If you don’t want to fork over the cash money for Power Encounters, check out Powlison’s chapter in Understanding Spiritual Warfare: Four Views. It will give you the general contours of his teaching.

HONORABLE MENTION

Satan Cast Out: A Study in Biblical Demonology by Frederick Leahy. A forgotten gem that offers clarity and concision in abundance.

Check out my past suggestions in the “3 Books Every Pastor Should Read” series here.

This is our goal in life, that we might be God-centered in our thoughts and God-fearing in our hearts, as J.I. Packer put it. We are to be God-honoring in all that we do. And how is that going to happen if we never consider, or consider only fleetingly, or irregularly, the end toward which we travel, and the one who also walks with us through life on the way to this end? – David Wells

God in the Whirlwind: How the Holy Love of God Reorients Our World 15-16
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3 Criteria for Selecting Congregational Music

Preaching Pastors as Worship Pastors

Finalizing the content for the coming weekend’s corporate worship service at our church occupies part of my Tuesday morning routine. Yesterday I spent time working on new songs to add to the song library at IDC. It’s always a joyful and weighty task.

I’ve said before that preaching pastors are worship pastors. Preaching pastors – and any installed elders – are charged with overseeing all aspects of the church’s teaching ministry. Songs teach the congregation (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Therefore, preaching pastors ought to ordinarily oversee the selection of songs for their congregation’s gathered worship. It just so happens in the life of our church that I regularly pick the songs we sing.

One of the most helpful grids for choosing songs I’ve seen comes from Kent Hughes’ contribution to Worship by the Book. He says congregational music must meet three criteria: text, tune, and fit. I choose to think in the categories of theology, melody, and suitability.

THREE CRITERIA FOR SELECTION SONGS

Evaluate the song’s theology. Evaluating the song’s lyrical content must always come first. The song, of course, must be faithful to Scripture and orthodox theology. But it isn’t enough that the song simply use biblical language, it must use such language correctly. We must do the hard work to parse out the intended, and unintended, meanings of the words and phrases employed. Here also I would advocate not settling for mere simplicity in lyrics. A song can be true biblically, but actually communicate very little. Give your people some red meat for their soul in the songs you choose.

Evaluate the song’s melody. This is generally where most songs get chucked, at least for me. In evaluating the song’s melody we must first ensure it fits the meaning of the text. Many faithful lyrics have crashed a sad death on the rocks of a “cool” melody. Secondly, the melody of the song must fit the congregation that will sing it. A good question here is, “Can the average church member sing it?” Which leads to the third criteria.

Evaluate the song’s suitability. Some songs will work in one congregation and not in another. Cultural context ought not to be ignored when selecting the arrows we launch into Satan’s kingdom each weekend. A particular song might be too formal for your congregation, where another might be too informal. Or maybe the dynamics of a song do not fit the median musical style of your church.

I hope it’s clear that I am always picking songs with my individual congregation in mind. They are the chief instrument of praise and I want to help them assault hell’s gates with battle cries of depth and delight. Like every area of pastoral ministry, patience is indispensable when it comes to song selection. I feel that it took us a good 10-11 months after planting Imago Dei before it felt as though everything clicked in our singing.

Good songs are applied theology and will shape the life of your congregation. So choose ’em wisely.